Forbidden
by xocourtneyxo
Summary: Lucas and Peyton's parents are getting married, but they just can't fight that attraction. What happens? Chapter Nine up!
1. Chapter 1

**Forbidden**

**Chapter One: Human Touch**

Touching. Kissing. Caressing. Peyton felt a loud moan escape her lips as Lucas's hand traveled up her thigh, closer and closer to her tiny underwear. She shoved her tongue in and out of his mouth hungrily, her hands buried in his hair. She tugged on his hair forcefully, bringing his lips down to hers once again. This was so insanely wrong in so many ways, but Peyton couldn't stop. For the last three months, he's been all that she's thought about. All that she's dreamed about. It's all been about Lucas.

Peyton broke away from him for a split second, pulling his shirt off over his head and onto the floor, diving back up to his lips. She opened her mouth for easier access of his tongue, one of her arms wrapped around his neck while the other worked on his belt buckle. "Tell me you want me.." She whispered seductively, moving away from his lips and kissing down his neck, her tongue jetting out every once and a while just to send him over the edge.

Over the last few months, she'd come to know everything about him. What he likes and what he doesn't like. Not only sexually, of course, but as a person as well. Lucas was a great guy and, if their parents weren't _married_, she was sure that they'd actually be able to date.

Peyton smiled upon hearing a loud moan escape her lips. Yes, she was good. She expertly took his belt off and threw it onto the floor, using her now free hand to unbutton her own blouse. "God, Peyton..I want you.." He huskily whispered, falling on top of her completely, connecting his hips with hers, even through the layers of clothing. Peyton closed her eyes in ecstacy and felt a moan escape her own lips, moving her hips up to connect with his as their lips collided once again. This was just like it always was. Every single time that they did this, it got better and better.

Peyton threw her shirt over her head and onto the bedroom floor, wrapping both of her arms around his neck and pulling him back down to her, connecting their lips once more. "I want you too.." She admitted quietly, a small smirk on her lips.

Just as she was about to work on the buttons of his jeans, the door flew open. Peyton jumped and Lucas jumped off of her, both of them hurrying to cover themselves. For some reason, Peyton had a feeling that things weren't going to go over too well. Standing there in the doorway to her bedroom was her father, Larry Sawyer, and her step-mother, AKA Lucas's mother, Karen Roe Sawyer.

Peyton swallowed with much difficulty and looked over at Lucas, wiping her bruised lips with a small frown. Uh-Oh. For some reason, she had a feeling that she wasn't going to be getting out of this one alive.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Larry screamed at the top of his lungs, looking over at his daughter. Peyton shrunk down in her seat, the frown never leaving her face. "Dad, please don't lecture me right now.." She pleaded with him, tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

Larry shook his head, a bitter laugh falling from his lips. "Lecture you, Peyton? LECTURE YOU?" He yelled once again, anger pulsing through his veins. "I better thank God that Karen and I forgot our Passports!" He explained. He and Karen had just gotten married yesterday and now he had to deal with the fact that his only daughter was making nice-nice with his new son? That was wrong on so many levels.

"Dad, I'm sorry!" Peyton cried out, looking away from him so that she wouldn't begin to cry. How did she even explain this without sounding like a horrible person?

Larry shook his head once again in complete and utter disbelief? How the hell had this even happened? "Please tell me this was the first time.." He pleaded with his daughter but, upon seeing the look on her face, he knew that it wasn't the truth. Larry's face hardened and he sat down on the bed, feeling like he was about to pass out. "How long has this been going on, Peyton?" He questioned quietly, almost afraid of the answer.

Peyton looked down in shame. No, she wasn't ashamed of her relationship with Lucas. You can't help who you fall in love with and it wasn't like they were even technically related. So what if their parents were married? "Three months.." She practically whispered, looking up at her father sadly.

Larry stood up, getting ready to leave the room. "I want that boy out of this house!" He practically screamed, opening the door. Peyton stood up and pushed the door closed, standing in front of it. "Daddy, I'm in love with him!" She announced quickly, all of the tears that she had been holding in suddenly falling from her eyes at that exact moment.

Peyton took notice of the shocked look that was plastered on her fathers face and, if only for a moment, she feared that she had given him a heart attack. He took a couple of steps back and sat down on the bed, his head resting in his hands. "How did this happen?" He questioned, looking up at his daughter with confusion and horror etched onto his face.

She closed the door fully and walked over to her father, sitting down on the bed next to him. Peyton wiped the tears from her eyes, not sure where she should begin. "I guess it started...The day you told me that Karen was moving in with us.." She recalled quietly, her voice shaking as she began to re-tell the story.

**--Flashback-- **

_(Four months ago)_

Peyton Sawyer sat in her bedroom, staring at her reflection in the mirror. Her blonde curls bounced off of her shoulders with ease as she finished off applying her lip gloss, smiling at herself. Yes, she was hot. She knew it as well as did half of the school. It wasn't to be self-centered or cocky, but Peyton was the 'it' girl, so to speak. She and her best friend, Brooke, ruled the school. Some even called Peyton the 'Queen Bee'. She was Captain of the Cheerleading Squad, Homecoming Queen, Jr. Prom Queen and everything in between. It was kind of ironic if you sat and thought about it. Everyone saw Peyton as this golden girl, but she wasn't like that at all.

She had insecurities and fears and wants and needs just like anyone else. Why didn't anyone seem to care about her real life issues? She was the talk of the school everytime she got a new boyfriend or went to another party, but no one knew that her mother was dead or that her father had a new girlfriend. As a matter of fact, Peyton hadn't even met this woman yet, but it turns out that she and her son are going to be moving in with Peyton and her father, Larry. Why couldn't Peyton ever have anything to herself? For God's sake--She had to share her father now, too?

She stood from her vanity, throwing the lip gloss into her designer bag. After zipping up the bag and leaving her bedroom, Peyton walked down the stairs, kissed her fathers cheek and went out the door without a word. Her cheerleading skirt swayed from side to side as she walked and, quite honestly, she didn't care. What was anyone going to say to her? It was too short? Get a life.

The keys turned and the blonde pulled out of the driveway of her mansion, Dashboard Confessional blaring from the speakers. She began to sing along with the lyrics of the song, bopping her head around aimlessly. Have you ever driven in your car and had the radio turned up so loud that you could barely hear yourself think? Well, unfortunately, Peyton's radio was blaring and her thoughts still somehow managed to seep through. How insanely annoying.

She pulled into her designated parking space after a couple of seconds and got out of the car in a hurry, looking around the parking lot for her best friend. Peyton hurried over to her, but suddenly stopped, bumping into another hard body. She looked up, shocked to find Lucas Scott hovering over her. _Oh God, Peyton. Do something. Speak..Something.._

She opened her mouth, but no words seemed to come out. Did Princess Peyton have a crush on Lucas? Lucas was the epitome of what girls like her were supposed to hate. He was a jackass. He was rude and crude and she wasn't all that sure that he showered very often, either. He listened to...Well, the same kind of music that she secretly listened to, but no one really knew that.

Peyton clamped her mouth shut and adjusted the strap of her designer Louis Vuitton messanger bag, unable to break the eye contact. He had such intense blue eyes. She opened her mouth once again, half hoping that she'd be able to think of a rude comeback for him bumping into her. _Come on, Peyton! You're supposed to be all great at these things. One stupid boy ignores you and he makes you weak in the knees?_

That's right. Peyton was convinced that the only reason that she wanted Lucas was because he didn't show an interest in her. She could have any other boy in this school with the snap of a finger, but Lucas Scott was different. He didn't seem to give a damn about being popular or the fact that she was a cheerleader. As a matter of fact, he seemed more annoyed by it than anything else.

"Watch where you're going.." She finally managed to stutter out, an almost unsoundable groan escaping her lips. Could that have been anymore lame? She didn't seem to think so.

Lucas smirked a dimpled smirk that made Peyton become even more girly. She watched as he opened his mouth and leaned down, his lips grazing against her ear ever so slightly. "..You bumped into me, Princess.." He challenged her before pulling away from her, putting a fake smile on and 'cheerfully' waving to Brooke as she came over to Peyton.

Peyton opened her mouth in shock and rolled her eyes, unable to take them off of him, unfortunately. Brooke followed Peyton's vision and scrunched her nose up in disguist. "I'd give him a six.." She said to no one in particular.

Peyton snapped out of her thoughts and linked her arm with Brooke's, shrugging her shoulders. "I'd give him a three..He's got a nice ass but that's about it." She said, attempting to act like he didn't have an affect on her. Yeah, right. He had just given her freaken goosebumps by speaking to her. If that wasn't a crush, she wasn't so sure what was.

School flew by in a flash and, before she knew it, Peyton was back home and helping her father make dinner. "Remember what I said, Peyton. They're guests in our home. You make them feel welcome.." He said and Peyton had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. She had been taught all about manners when she was six. She really didn't need to learn them again.

She chopped up one of the carrots and popped a piece into her mouth. With that, the blonde leaned in and kissed her father's cheek gently. "I've got it under control, daddy. Don't worry about it." She promised with a smirk, skipping out of the kitchen and up the stairs so that she could begin to get ready for their 'guests'. Why the hell were they even considered guests if they were going to be moving in next week?

Peyton looked in her closet, pulling out a strapless red designer dress. She held it up to her small frame and shrugged, ripping it off of the hanger carelessly. Smile and look pretty even when you feel like shit. That was Peyton Sawyer's way of life. No one seemed to notice the fact that she didn't even enjoy her life. She, quite honestly, couldn't remember the last time that she had fun or did something just for herself.

Once she was dressed the the before mentioned red dress, Peyton heard her father calling her name. She opened her bedroom door and ran down the stairs, face to face with a pretty raven haired woman. "Peyton, this is Karen, my girlfriend..Karen, this is my daughter Peyton." He introdced the two, smiling brightly.

Peyton forced a smile onto her own face for the sake of her father and shook the woman's hand lightly. "It's a pleasure to mee--" Peyton stopped mid sentence, the forced smile on her face dropping when she saw someone else entering the house via front door. She locked eyes with him, unsure of, once again, what she should say. Why did he always do that to her, damnit?

"Peyton Sawyer..." He greeted cockily, standing next to his mother, whom he seemed to tower over.

Peyton swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded her head, her jaw clenched slightly. "Lucas Scott.." She greeted back, her voice quiet and cautious. One thing was for sure. Through all of this, something was bound to happen--And it wasn't going to be pretty.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two - Like A Man Posessed**

**(Present time)**

Despite his attempts to stop, Lucas felt his leg shaking as it bounced up and down against the floor, his arms crossed uncomfortably over his bare chest. Karen, his mother, began to pace like a mad woman around the room, not even speaking. You'd have to be deaf not to hear the screams coming from Larry in the next room over, but Lucas stayed silent. If his mother wasn't going to yell at him, then he certainly wasn't going to push his luck by saying anything to anger her.

Karen's mouth continued to open and close, but no words seemed to escape. The raven haired woman was obviously podering what to say, not wanting to jump at things from the wrong angle like she was sure that her husband had with Peyton. Instead, she continued to walk around the room, every once and a while running a hand through her hair or letting out a loud huff. Usually, Lucas would take it as a good sign that his mother hadn't begun to scream, but he knew her too well. This was the calm before the storm.

Just as Lucas was about to stand up, his mother forcefully pushed him back down, finally seeming to have realized the gravity of the situation. "How could you have--" She began, but stopped mid-sentence, still not sure that she wanted to go about it in that particular way. "What were you thin--" She began once again, but stopped. "Nevermind. Don't answer that. I don't think I wanna know.." Karen muttered under her breath, runnning a hand over her face in an attempt to calm herself down.

She looked back down at her son, who seemed completely un-phased by her sudden outburst. Karen shook her head in disbelief, Larry's screams suddenly ceasing. Well, she'd take that as her cue. "Did I raise an idiot?" She finally asked, raising her voice only slightly.

Lucas sighed and shook his head, leaning his back fully against the computer chair so that he was 'lounging'. No, he wasn't an idiot. As a matter of fact, he was in the top ten percent of his class. Certainly not 'idiot' material. But, he did make some awful decisions when it came to Peyton. His vision got clouded when he was around her and things just escalated everytime that they saw eachother. Something as innocent as a look from across the room would cause them to stumble into a bedroom together, tangled up in eachother.

He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by Karen's hand in his face. "Don't answer that, damnit! It was a rhetorical question!" She repromanded him, shaking her head once again. Karen once again began to pace around the room, obviously terrified of what was going on. Her son and her step-daughter had just been caught kissing..On top of one another..Shirtless._ Oh no, Karen. Get those damn images out of your head! For the love of God and everything Holy.._

The exact second that the thought entered her mind, Karen grabbed Lucas's shirt off of the messy bed and threw it at him hastily. "Put some clothes on." She said snarkily before sitting down on the bed. How many times had they done this? Where? Karen quickly stood back up, figuring that they'd probably had their 'secret meetings' in one of the bedrooms most often. Okay, how insanely disguisting was that?

The older woman crossed her arms over her chest and sighed, walking around the room as she thought of what to say. How do you even put into words what happened? What was she supposed to ask? They never taught you this kind of thing in Parenting Class. Karen could only imagine what would be on the agenda if they did teach this sort of thing. _Parenting 101: How to stop your child from sleeping with his step-sister._

Karen finally sat down next to Lucas, sitting on top of Peyton's computer desk. She looked around the bedroom and at the art on the walls, wondering how she hadn't seen any of this before. In almost every single piece of art, there was a boy with her. His face was always blocked out, but it was obvious who it was. It was Lucas.

She tore her eyes away from the drawings and looked down at her hands before over at her son, who was still sitting on the chair. Karen swallowed with much difficulty and attempted to stay calm. "If I ask you to tell me what happened, do you promise to leave all of the details out of it?" She asked with a small half smile, hoping to lighten the mood.

Lucas looked down and laughed, nodding his head. "That won't be a problem." He assured his mother, glad that she still had a slight sense of humor through this whole mess. Where was he supposed to begin? When had their relationship really taken off? Well, he assumed that it was about three months ago. Karen and Larry were off on one of their little 'dates' and Peyton and Lucas were home alone. It was Friday night and neither of them had anything to do..Except annoy the hell out of eachother.

Karen nodded just slightly and sent Lucas a quick sideways glance, waiting for him to begin to tell his tale. When he didn't, she furrowed her eyebrows together in confusion, a large frown now being worn on her lips. "How long has this been going on for, Lucas?" She questioned cautiously.

Lucas smiled. He knew that he wasn't suppsosed to and that it wasn't exactly the reaction that his mother was expecting, but he couldn't help himself. "..About three months.." He admitted, looking up at his mother with the same smile on his face. That was what thinking about Peyton did to him. It made him smile.

Karen's eyes widened in shock and she grabbed a magazine, rolled it up, and swatted Lucas over the head with it. She threw it back down onto the desk, almost wishing that she'd never asked him in the first place. "Three months!" She practically screamed. She'd expected a week. Maybe two. Three months? That was almost a real relationship!

She noted the smile on the blonde boy's lips and she rolled her eyes, sending him a death glare. "Why the hell are you smiling, Lucas Eugene Scott?" She asked, using his full name just because she could do that. It was a mother thing and she enjoyed using it to her advantage every single chance that she got.

Lucas's smile only widened, his head facing down as his blue eyes focused on the carpet. "..Because I'm in love with her." He admitted, looking up at his mother, almost pleadnig with her not to kill him. He knew that the relationship was a lot for her to handle, but he had really hoped that his mother would accept it. They couldn't not be together. It was far too difficult. It wasn't like they hadn't tried to break things off. They had. Many times, but they failed time and time again. One of them would realize that a relationship wouldn't work and they would break up with the other.

Karen's eyes nearly tripled in size and she swallowed the lump in her throat. Love? He was eighteen years old. He couldn't possibly even know the meaning of the word. So, instead of freaking out on him like she could have, she stayed calm, wanting to get the full story.

"How did this first begin?" She asked. Just as Lucas opened his mouth, Karen held her hand up to stop him, her eyes closed tightly. "Please remember to leave out the details, Lucas. I don't want a heart attack." Karen pleaded with him, re-opening her eyes and peering at her son cautiously.

Lucas laughed once again and nodded his head, not sure where he should begin. "Well, I guess it was that night...You and Larry just told us you were getting engaged and you guys went out to celebrate.." He recalled, trying to remember back those three months. Once it finally clicked in his brain, Lucas was able to recall every last detail of that night.

_**-- Flashback --**_

_**(Three Months Ago)**_

Lucas sat on the couch, watching as the Bobcats once again gave up another basket. He rolled his eyes and sighed, not saying a word. Although he wanted to scream at the top of his lungs, it seemed pointless. The game was a repeat from last night and he already knew of their horrible defeat. Yelling at the television wouldn't make the players change what they had already done.

Peyton, who had been sitting in the corner of the room sketching, finally spoke up. She continued to stare at her drawing with the pencil stuck between her teeth, her words coming out semi-muffled. "You do realize that it's just a game, right?" She asked indifferently, her voice showing absolutely no emotion whatsoever. "A game that kept me awake all last night, by the way, because you and my dad wouldn't shut the hell up about it.." She continued on, throwing the pad down onto the table with a half smirk.

Lucas tore his eyes away from the television just in time to miss the final buzzer, the Bobcats losing the game. He leaned forward to grab the pad from the coffee table and began to sift through it, sketch after sketch. His eyes combed over each and every single drawing, the smirk on his face fading. "Wow, Peyt. These are really good." He admitted.

Things were different between them now. Although they weren't friends, the two no longer ignored eachother in school. Peyton stepped off of her pedestal a bit and Lucas did as well, trying not to be such a jackass around her. They were going to have to learn to compromise if they ever wanted to make these living arrangements work. They had been living under the same roof for a couple of weeks now and, although Peyton wished she could say that her 'crush' was gone, that was a complete and total lie.

It was at an all time high. Now, instead of having to look at him at school, Peyton was forced to watch him getting out of the bathroom in a towel or playing basketball shirtless. Just at the thought alone, Peyton's eyes began to comb over his body. She stopped herself almost immediately and closed her eyes, rubbing her forehead. _Stop it, Peyton!_

When she finally gained the courage to look back over at Lucas, he obviously hadn't noticed her staring at all. He was too focused on her sketches. She stood up from her chair in the corner of the room and sat down on the couch, crawling over so that she was closer to him. Peyton peered over his shoulder and smiled just slightly, noticing the sketch that he seemed to be stuck on. The sketch of her mother.

Lucas's thumb ran over every single feature of the beautiful woman who was drawn in the picture and he smiled, concentrating completely on the picture. "Peyton, this is amazing.." He admitted, turning his head and looking at her. Because of the way that she had been positioned, Lucas's face was mere centimeters away from hers. He swallowed the large yet growing lump in his throat and blinked a couple of times, trying to focus on something other than her lips.

Peyton did the same, but couldn't will herself to move. She knew that she should and her mind was screaming at her to do so, but she simply couldn't. She looked down at his lips, her eyes slowly scanning up the features of his face and into his eyes. Her green eyes locked with his blue ones and the only sound that could be heard in the room was the sketch pad falling off of the couch.

Lucas, of course, made the first move. He brought his hand up to lightly stroke her cheek before pressing their foreheads together. He closed his eyes tightly and leaned in, his lips gently grazing hers. This was wrong on so many levels. There were so many reasons that they shouldn't be doing this, but they were. Lucas couldn't stop himself and, for some reason, Peyton couldn't either.

Peyton felt Lucas's lips connect with hers and she brought her hand up to his face, resting her palm on his cheek as the passionate yet longing kiss continued on. It deepened after a couple of seconds, Peyton making the first move and opening her mouth. Their tongues collided for a couple of seconds but they then reluctantly pulled away, their foreheads still pressed together.

Lucas brought his other hand up to cup Peyton's face in his hands, leaning in to kiss her one more time as gently as he possibly could. Peyton returned the kiss, the lips barely moving as they laid on top of one anothers contently. Peyton felt incomplete when Lucas finally chose to pull away from her. It felt as if his forehead was supposed to be pressed against hers and his lips were supposed to be connected with her own.

He looked over at her and then stood up, trying to stay strong. That didn't mean anything. It couldn't mean anything. "It can never happen again." Was all he said before dissapearing into his bedroom.

Peyton was left sitting on the couch, one hand on her lips and the other at her side, completely and utterly dumbfounded. Had that just happened?

**Authors Note: Everyoneneeds to read 'Let Me Go' by P. Sawyer (AKA Kaylaalaa) because it's totally amazing. kthanks. )**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Papa Don't Preach**

_(Present)_

Larry's eyes nearly bulged out of his head and he stood from the bed, his heart leaping into his throat. "You mean to tell me that the night I came home and you were sitting on the couch like a statue was because you kissed your step-brother?" He practically screamed, a vein in the side of his head becoming quite visible. He had heard too much already. How much detail did his daughter have to go into? Sometimes he wished that she'd gotten his memory. Peyton was always so much like her mother. She remembered everything so vividly. He loved her for that, but it was moments like these that he wished that she could be a little less observant.

Peyton rested her head in her hands and slowly nodded her head, choosing not to verbally answer the question. The night that she and Lucas shared their first kiss had been the most confusing night of her entire life. There was so much going through her mind but, unfortunately, all she wanted to do was kiss him again. Maybe it wasn't even kissing. She just wanted to be near him. To smell his scent. To be close to him both physically and emotionally.

Still, to this day, Peyton could only wonder how they had gotten a connection so quickly. They'd gone from strangers to lovers in a matter of weeks. Now, she couldn't, nor did she want to, imagine her life without him. He was the only person in this world that put a true and genuine smile on her face. Sometimes, after Larry and Karen were asleep, he'd sneak into her bedroom and they'd just lay together silently, both needing the comfort of the other to fall asleep. She was sure that Lucas could sleep without her, but she found it very difficult to sleep without him.

Larry felt his heart rate fasten up and he held onto his arm dramatically. "Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer, you're going to give me a heart attack!" He stated, sitting down on one of the chairs, his eyes scanning the room. He suddenly felt clastrophobic. Was there another way out? A window? Would someone open the damn window? It was so hot in here!

Peyton lifted her head from her hands and rolled her eyes. He could be so over-dramatic at times. "Dad, just calm down.. Okay?" She asked, tilting her head to the side impatiently. He said that he wanted to know, but he was always so annoying when she explained things. It had been annoying enough to get through this story. Now she was going to have to deal with all of the prying questions about their relationship. There were things that her father simply did not want to know and she knew that for a fact.

Larry exhaled deeply, nodding his head. He was calm..He was calm..He was calm. Oh, who was he kidding? How could someone be 'calm' in this sort of situation? His daughter had slepped with her step-brother for God knows how long and no one had seen fit to inform him. The thought alone was enough to make the older man sick to his stomach. Part of him wanted to go into the other room and beat Lucas senseless. The other part wanted to cry his eyes out. And, of course, the last part wanted to hear what else had gone on between the two.

"I'm calm." He finally found his voice, although it was barely above a hushed whisper. The man leaned back in his chair and sighed, rubbing his forehead to suppress a headache that he simply know would be coming. "Just..Explain this to me.." He said, regretting the words the second that they flew out of his mouth. Did he really want to hear anymore? If he did, he'd probably have to be committed.

This was too much for anyone to handle hearing, let alone the man who gave birth to one and was step-father to the other. Did they not see what they were doing was wrong? Did they not realize that their horomones were going to have to wait until later because these were real lives that they were dealing with? This wasn't just 'Lucas and Peyton' land where the two could just go off and do whatever they like.

Peyton shook her head, her eyebrows crinkled together. From that point on, things just got messier and messier. They had avoided eachother like the plague for about two weeks, not saying a word to eachother. Then, of course, Karen and Larry went out, leaving the two alone again. Peyton had shacked herself up into her bedroom and Lucas did the same, hoping that they wouldn't have to cross paths. Fate, as they should know it, had a different plan for them.. A much different plan.

"Dad, trust me. You don't wanna know." She muttered tiredly, leaning her elbows on her knees and rubbing her forehead as well. Sometimes, she really was her father's daughter. Although she was a spitting image of her mother, the things she did were so similar to her father. She had a hot temper much like he did and, even if she hated to admit it, she acted a lot like him as well.

Larry closed his eyes. He didn't want to know. That was never good. Peyton told him everything. She was usually so blunt and honest. He could just picture her speaking right at this moment, her life flashing before his eyes. 'I have cramps' or 'My period is so bad' or 'The guy I made out with last weekend smelled like malt liquor'. Although they weren't exactly things that a father smiled upon hearing, Larry had always respected her honesty. Now, she was telling him that he didn't want to hear this? Uh-Oh.

"Have you two ever been...Intimate?" He reluctantly asked, clearing a tick in his throat as he finished off his last question. It was times like these that he wished he had a son instead of a daughter. If he did have a son, Larry would have gone about things at a totally different angle. They'd be laughing and joking around between threats of murder. Not exactly your average humor, but this was no average situation.

Peyton's eyes widened in shock. Okay.. Ew. Did her father just use the word 'intimate'? She finally nodded her head, looking her father dead in the eye. She had never lied to him before and she didn't plan to start now.

..And there went the truck that just ran Larry Sawyer over. He closed his eyes, letting out a loud groan. This had to be some sort of sick joke. Canded Camera? Punk'd? Some other Ashton Kutcher experiment? What the hell was going on here?

"When did this first begin?" He stuttered out reluctantly, his eyes searching the room for something to stare at..Anything besides his daughter. It wasn't that he didn't want to look at her, but he just couldn't. She was tainted by his damn step-son. Her fucking step-brother. Was he the only person who saw how wrong this whole situation was?

Peyton shrugged her shoulders. "Is there any way we can change partners for this? Karen comes in here and you..." She paused, thinking. Did she really want her father and Lucas to talk? No, she didn't. "Nevermind." She finally settled, swallowing loudly.

"The first time we..." She made a quick gesture with her hands, knowing that he'd know what she meant. 'Having sex' was something that she couldn't say in front of her father. Yes, he knew that she wasn't a virgin, but she'd never been forced to tell him anything like this before. It was disguisting and wrong and evil.

"Well, it was...Like..." She thought back, her eyebrows furrowed together in thought. "It was about two and a half months ago-ish." She settled quietly, choosing not to go into any further detail than that. Instead, her mind took her back to that night, re-living every last detail.

**-- Flashback --**

_And, although Elizabethan theatre is now ceased, the plays and literature that were written during this time will forever be in our_-- Peyton stopped typing as she reached for her glass of water, only to find it empty. She let out a heavy sigh and looked towards her bedroom window. It was opened, but it still felt like it was a thousand degrees in her bedroom.

Peyton set the empty glass back down onto her computer desk, repeatedly swallowing the little bit of saliva in her throat. "Okay, Elizabethan Times, you're gonna have to wait." She muttered, grabbing the glass and standing up, choosing to take a little break before she finished with her essay. Peyton opened her door. Silence. Good, maybe Lucas had gone out. She'd been avoiding him since the kiss and, luckily, he had been avoiding her as well.

It was a miracle that their parents weren't suspicious yet. Lucas had skipped dinner almost every single night for the past two weeks and Peyton had been forcing Brooke to drive her to and from school so that she wouldn't have to car-pool with her almost step-brother. The same almost-step brother that she had once been crushing on. The same almost-step brother that she had kissed. The same almost-step-brother that had kissed her back.

She made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen, pressing the button on the refridgerator that spits out ice. Just as her hand touched the button, a sound was heard. Footsteps. They started from the top of the stairs and continued on into the kitchen, the darkness surrounding them.

Even if she couldn't see it, she felt it. It was Lucas. His presence. Peyton still didn't turn around, her back facing him as she finished off putting the ice in the glass. With that, Peyton began to pour the water. Not a sound was made between the two of them. The trickling of water could be heard, but Lucas didn't move or speak and neither did Peyton. It was pitch black and she simply turned around, unsure of why she was doing so. She just got a feeling.

The second that she did, a pair of lips collided with her own. Peyton's hands immediately ripped and pulled at his blonde hair, his arms falling around her waist and forcefully pushing her against the fridge. Still, not a sound was made. Not a moan or a grunt or a word was uttered between either of them.

The mere second that her back hit the fridge, Peyton carelessly dropped the glass of water from her hands, the first noise in the kitchen as the shatter of the glass onto the floor. She now focused all of her attention on _him_. The way that he tasted. The way that he kissed her. The way that their foreheads always seemed to allign perfectly. With a small moan, Peyton lifted herself up and wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling his lips into hers for another intoxicating kiss.

The two bodies somehow managed to find their way around the kitchen, their tongues hungrily searching eachothers mouths and their hands touching every single place that they could find. Lucas somehow managed to pull off Peyton's tank top and throw it onto the floor with the broken glass, stumbling them onto the couch. He fell down on top of her and they continued to kiss, not once saying a word in fear of ruining the moment.

They were both thinking the same exact thing. _It can't mean anything...But it does. _As hard as they may have tried, they couldn't stay away. They had avoided eachother, but it was only a temporary fix. That had worked until they ran into eachother, which later led to this. Clothes being ripped off and passions igniting.

Peyton was thankful that Lucas was already shirtless. She'd have to remember to thank Mother Nature the next time that she prayed. Come to think of it, she'd have to be praying soon because having sex with your step-brother was probably breaking, like, all ten commandments at the same time. She was definately going to need that forgiveness.

She ran her nails up and down his back, a small smile coming onto her lips when she felt him shudder against her touch. Instead of saying one of her snarky little sarcastic comments, Peyton opened her eyes, her green emerald eyes locking onto his ocean blue ones. They stared at eachother for what felt like hours. There was no going back now. Whatever was going on between them was far too strong and powerful to ever be denied again.

Wordlessly, Peyton pulled his neck down to her, kissing him once again. As acceptance, Lucas eagerly opened his mouth, slowly pulling her shorts off of her body as he did so. Peyton lifted her body and helped him to remove the article of clothing, hungrily pulling him back down on top of her.

Lucas leaned down, his head getting lost in her blonde curls as he kissed her neck, leaving hot open mouthed kisses up and down the tender skin. Peyton moaned loudly, arching her hips up to meet with his for one electrafying moment. She brought her hips back down, her eyes closed in ecstacy and her hands forcefully tugging on his hair.

"I need to feel you inside of me." She whispered huskily, practically begging him to do so. Lucas continued to kiss her neck as she pulled his sweatpants down and took a hold of the rim of his boxers, toying them with a seductive smile.

Lucas pressed his hips down into hers once again teasingly before lifting his head from her neck and traveling down her body, leaving kiss after kiss down her chest and stomach, stopping at the rim of her tiny underwear. Lucas stared for a moment before pulling them off and falling on top of her.

She locked eyes with him and nodded her head, silently granting him permission. He was always a gentleman, wasn't he? The second that he rammed into her, Peyton let out a cry like moan, her nails digging into his back forcefully.

They continued to move in unison for what felt like hours, Lucas finally collapsing down on top of her, his head buried in the crook of her neck. Peyton's heart pounded out of her chest and she grabbed onto a small blanket that was resting on the back of the couch, covering their naked bodies. She continued to attempt to regulate her breathing, lifting Lucas's head and kissing his lips softly.

Lucas returned the kiss almost immediately and smiled against her lips, moving off of her and laying down so that he was next to her. Peyton adjusted herself, settling on top of him, her head resting on his chest. Who cared if it was a thousand degrees outside? This was all that mattered right now.

Peyton looked up at Lucas, who seemed to be thinking. He was never a man of many words, but had he spoken since he had walked downstairs? She wasn't so sure. "What's on your mind?" She asked cautiously, lifting herself up to rest her weight on her elbow.

Lucas's blue eyes shined in the dark and he looked over at her, playing with one of the blonde curls that was straggling near her eye. He brushed it away, twirling the piece around his finger as if it were a toy. "Peyton--" He began to speak, but was cut off by the blonde.

She sat up, covering herself with the blanket. "I know the deal. It can never happen again, right?" She asked sadly, looking over at him, unable to hide the hurt on her face. Tonight had been so passionate and so loving that she couldn't imagine a life without him. As wrong and twisted as it was, they were a perfect example of 'love at first site'. From the moment that she had seen him, Peyton got that feeling. Not the 'butterflies in your stomach' kind of feeling, but the 'I can't live without you' feeling that she was sure that no one her age had ever gotten before.

"Actually.." Lucas took his hand, lifting her chin. "I was gonna say that.. I need to be with you.." He admitted with a small laugh, bringing her face closer to his and leaving a gently yet loving kiss on her lips. "But if you don't want it to happen again..." He trailed off with a cocky/playful smile.

Peyton slapped Lucas's chest, pushing him back down onto the couch and taking her place on top of him. "I need to be with you too." She admitted with a smile, lacing their fingers together.

Lucas looked down at their hands, his smile fading. He leaned over and kissed the side of Peyton's forehead, squeezing her hand just a bit tighter. "It's just...We're never gonna be able to hold hands in public and..I'm never gonna be able to shower you with presents or go to the movies with you or.. Celebrate Valentines Day.." He admitted, knowing that it sounded insanely cheesy.

Peyton smiled and she lifted herself up once again to look at him. "If sneaking around means that I get to be with you, then I'll do it.." She admitted, leaning in and kissing his nose gently. Peyton sighed contently as she placed her forehead against his, his nose lightly grazing up against hers. "..All I need is you.." Peyton promised quietly, leaning in for yet another kiss, glad that they could finally admit their feelings once and for all.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: Misery Loves Company**

_(Present Time)_

The silence was nearly unbearable. Lucas kept his head down as he stared at the carpet, stained by years of nail polish and makeup. Over the past few months, Peyton had told him about every single stain and every single broken object in her room, a story behind each and every worn item. His blue eyes continued to focus on the black nail polish smudge that was in her carpet. The naked eye would probably never be able to notice it, but after Peyton had mentioned it to him time after time, he'd grown to be able to see it. If you thought about it, it sort of resembled their relationship. It was there even if no one could see it. It was still there, as visible as it had been the day that the carpet had been stained. No amount of scrubbing it or washing it could make it go away. But, of course, no one could see it but them. No one could see what was going on until they were told about it and then, of course, it was so obvious. You'd ask yourself time and time again why you hadn't seen it before. Why had it taken you so long? It had been there all along.

Karen, as well, seemed too shocked to talk. Lucas hadn't said much, but it was clear to her that whatever was going on between him and Peyton was something that he didn't want to end. On one side, as a mother, she was glad that her son had found someone that he was so fond of. On the other side, this person was her step-daughter. His step-sister. It was wrong and they couldn't continue their relationship. What was she supposed to do? Be a mother or be a human?

Before either Karen or Lucas could recieve the answers to their burning questions, the door opened. Both of them looked up in shock to find Larry standing there cautiously. He avoided both of their gazes, pointing towards the door. "Karen, will you keep Peyton company? I'd like to have a moment alone with Lucas." He stuttered out.

Karen looked over at Lucas questioningly, wanting to make sure that it was alright with her son to be alone with his step-father. Lucas still didn't lift his gaze from the floor, but he nodded his head all the same. "It's fine, mom." He practically whispered, almost reluctantly. Of course it wasn't going to be 'fine', but he was going to have to own up to his actions.

She reluctantly stood up and walked to the door, sending Larry a quick glare. "If you hurt him.." She trailed off, leaving it as an open-ended warning. There would be major consequences if Larry touched a single hair on her son's head. With that, she walked out of the bedroom, closing the door behind her.

Upon hearing the door close, Lucas looked up at his step-father, still avoiding eye contact. He was taken off guard only slightly when he felt himself get lifted out of his seat and slammed against the closet forcefully. Larry grabbed onto the collar of Lucas's shirt, anger pulsing through his veins.

"You're gonna end it!" He practically screamed, obviously not leaving the blonde haired boy with any option other than to end things with his daughter. Even if Lucas didn't want to, he'd just have to suck it up and do it because Larry wasn't going to allow this to continue on.

Lucas simply shook his head, now staring the man dead in the eye. "I'm sorry, but I can't do that." He practically whispered, his voice not faultering in the least. There was nothing to be afraid of. Larry could physically hurt him all that he wanted, but he couldn't stop him from loving Peyton and he couldn't stop Peyton from loving Lucas. That was one thing that, fortunately, Larry and Karen would never be able to touch.

All of the threats in the world meant nothing against unconditional love. Not the kind of love that you felt for a pet or a regular girlfriend, but real love. The kind of love that makes you want to change for the better and the kind of love that makes you want to become a better person just so that you deserve the love that you're recieving.

Larry slammed Lucas against the closet door once again, anger pulsing through his veins. "Don't make me hurt you, Lucas." He warned unevenly, his eyes showing the confusion and anger that he bore inside of him. This was no laughing matter. Did they honestly think that it didn't hurt him to hurt his step son? Because it did. Larry loved Lucas as if he were his own son--Which only made things a million times worse in this situation.

Lucas swallowed with much difficulty and still didn't faulter. He wasn't going to break and give in to his step father. He couldn't lose Peyton. He wasn't going to..No matter the consequence. "I said that I can't end things with her...That I won't." He repeated curtly, his eyes still staring holes into Larry.

Larry let go of Lucas and nodded his head, pondering the options in his head. Once he turned around, Larry spun back around the second later, punching Lucas right in the jaw. He held onto his fist in pain. It had been quite some time since he'd hit someone.

Lucas stumbled back, holding onto his jaw. Luckily, he was already leaning against the closet so that he hadn't fallen down. With that, he sat down on the computer chair, his head resting in his hands once again. "..Look, I'm sorry that this is hurting you, but don't you think we've tried to stop?" He questioned angrily, looking up at his step-father. It was so easy to put all of the blame on himself and Peyton, but Karen and Larry didn't know the half of what they had been through lately. He couldn't help but get a bit angry.

Larry continued to hold onto his fist, sitting down on his daughter's bed with a sigh. "Try to stop? You guys aren't addicted to eachother! You can stop!" He explained, not seeing why this was so difficult for the two of them.

Lucas sighed. This was going to be difficult. They had tried to stop. Many times. There had been a countless amount of tears shed and fights shared between Lucas and Peyton because they were going to end things, but they could never do it. At the end of the day, the one thing that kept them together was love. They were in love with one another and no one elses opinion mattered. But, of course, how do you explain that to the girl's father?

"It's not as easy as you make it sound." He explained quietly, thinking back to one night in particular. It was Karen and Larry's rehersal dinner and things, of course, hadn't gone as planned. As a matter of fact, things went to hell. Lucas cleared his throat and began to tell Larry exactly what he meant.

**-- Flashback --**

_(ten days ago)_

Another glass of champagne. Lucas shot it back with ease before setting it down onto a nearby tray and continuing to walk through the party, everyone having a grand old time except for him. This party sucked.. A lot. He walked over to his 'date' for the night. It was a girl that Karen had so nicely picked out for him. Haley something-or-other. Apparently, she was a tutor and she went to Tree Hill High as well.

He smiled just slightly at the auburn haired girl before allowing his eyes to wander around the room in search of a familiar curly haired blonde girl. Almost immediately, he found her. She was talking it up with a couple of her father's friends, laughing at their lame jokes and kissing their asses.

Lucas had to suppress the urge to roll his eyes. She'd been ignoring him all night. Time after time, Lucas had approached her and attempting to talk, but she would ignore him and walk away, pretending that he didn't exist. Finally, he saw his oppurtunity. She dissapeared into the kitchen.

Lucas turned towards Haley, handing her his brand new glass of champagne. "Can you hold this? I just.. I'll be right back." He promised before walking into the kitchen behind Peyton. He saw her standing with her back towards him and he walked closer to her, his arms falling around her waist. Lucas leaned down, leaving a small kiss on the side of her neck, closing his eyes and breathing in her scent.

"Why are you ignoring me?" He asked, half pleading with her to tell him the truth. What the hell was happening to him? Lucas Scott never pleaded for anything--Let alone for a girl's attention.

Peyton lamely pushed Lucas's hands off of her and spun around, a mix of jealousy and rage burning in her eyes. "Why don't you go talk to your date?" She asked angrily, rolling her eyes. With that, she pushed past him and attempted to walk out of the kitchen.

Lucas grabbed onto Peyton's arm, spinning her around. She gave him an angry glare, but Lucas ignored it, still waiting for a real answer to his question. When he didn't recieve one, he realized that she must be waiting for an answer to his.

"Look, Peyt. She doesn't mean anything. She's just.. Someone my mom wanted to hook me up with." He explained, trying to get her to see that she was over-reacting just a bit. Come on now. It wasn't like he was making out with Haley all over the place. All he'd done was be polite and, quite honestly, he wasn't really a mean enough person to tell her to go away.

Peyton's features visibly softened and she sighed, nodding her head. "I just.. I can't keep doing this, Luke. I can't keep watching you with other girls and pretending that it does--" She began, but stopped as soon as a couple of caterers walked into the kitchen and grabbed food off of the counters. She cleared her throat and looked away from him, pretending that they weren't even speaking.

Once the strangers had left the kitchen, Peyton spoke again, her voice in a hushed whisper. "I wanna be able to kiss you in public! And I wanna be able to..." She took a hold of his hand, tears threatening to fall from her large green eyes. "..Hold your hand and I want you to be able to tell me how much you love me and whisper in my ear and.. We're never gonna be able to do any of that!" She explained sadly, ripping her hand out of his grasp and walking out of the kitchen completely.

Lucas stood there, staring at the space that she once occupied. Finally, after many more moments of nothing, Lucas walked into the main room, sitting down between Peyton and Haley for dinner. The conversation was forced and contrieved but, midway through the first course, Lucas reached under the table and grabbed onto Peyton's hand, rubbing her tiny hand between his larger ones.

He took notice of the way that her expression changed and she squeezed onto his hand softly. That was it. That was all that she needed. The fight was over and done with. No one seemed to notice that neither Lucas or Peyton were eating with both hands, luckily. They kept their fingers laced together for the rest of the dinner, stronger than ever. So much for breaking things off, right?

**-- End Flashback -- **

Lucas looked down and then back up at Larry, his lips tightly pursed together. "You can hate me all you want and you can.." He paused, laughing a bit bitterly. "..You can beat the hell outta me... But it won't stop me from loving her." He explained, shaking his head. "Nothing will..."


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** _I decided to take a different route with this story. So, now, the story is really beginning. Confusing, I know..I just wasn't sure where I wanted to go with this so I kind of stopped writing for a little while. Just in case you're confused after this chapter, I put an author's note on the bottom as well to sum things up. This is a very short chapter but, like I said, it's going to set up for the rest of the fic. _

**Chapter Five: Without You**

_(Present time)_

Peyton stood by the door, jumping upon hearing the loud screams that were erupting from her father. Karen sat on the bed silently, causing Peyton to turn to her, tears freely falling from her cheeks. "How're you gonna let him treat your son like that?" She questioned, throwing her hands up in defeat. None of this was fair. Why were Karen and Larry going so easy on her, yet practically murdering Lucas? It wasn't like he had forced her to do anything that she didn't want to. This wasn't fair. It was just..Too much.

Karen still sat on the bed, looking down at her hands in shame. It wasn't that she didn't want to help her son, but it was that she couldn't. If she stormed in there, she'd be a bad wife. If she didn't she'd be a bad mother. It was a lose/lose situation for her. With a quick sigh, Karen stood from the bed and walked to the door, opening it quietly.

"Go.." The elder woman practically whispered, her voice quivering as she spoke. In a sense, Karen was giving Peyton the permission that the girl so greatly wanted to be with her son. Consider her a hopeless romantic, but she decided to be a mother for once. Her son was in love with this girl and this girl wanted to save him. Right now, Lucas was most definately in need of saving. It seemed like the perfect fit.

Peyton looked out into the hallway with wide eyes and then over at Karen. "What?" She questioned, obviously confused with what her step-mother meant. Go? Go where? To Lucas? That surely couldn't be what Karen meant. She and Larry had forced Peyton and Lucas into seperate rooms. They fought to the grave to keep the two apart and now, just like that, Karen was going to let Peyton save him from her father?

Karen nodded her head, pointing to the hallway. "Nothing.. I'm gonna be fixing my hair in that mirror over there..With my back turned.." She explained, nodding her head. With that, the raven haired woman turned on her heel and walked to the other side of the bedroom, staring at Peyton in the mirror as she pretended to fix her hair.

Peyton looked from Karen to the hallway, swallowing the lump in her throat. "Thank you." She whispered, practically sprinting down the hallway and back into her bedroom, bursting through the doors. Upon entering, Peyton spotted Lucas sitting in her computer chair, his head snapping up when he heard the door. Her father was hovering over him and also looking at the blonde, a large scowl on his face.

"Dad! Stop it!" She practically screamed, rushing towards them and forcefully pushing her father away from Lucas. With that, she kneeled down in front of the younger of the two boys, gently stroking his cheek with her tiny hand. "I'm sorry.. I'm so sorry.." She sobbed out, a small sniffle of her nose the only sound in the room.

Larry looked at the two and leaned down to grab Peyton, but heard a domineering voice demanding for him to stop. Appearing in the doorway was his wife, Karen, in all of her glory. With her hands resting on her lips, she pointed towards the bed.

"Larry, sit!" She demanded before walking over to Peyton, pulling the blonde to a standing position. "You too, Peyton.." Karen continued on, gently placing Peyton on the edge of the bed. Once both of the Sawyer's were seated, Karen took a seat on top of the computer desk next to her son, allowing silence consume the room for a moment or so.

With a deep breath, she finally spoke, deciding that this was the only way that things would ever get worked out. "It's obvious that you two have feelings for eachother.." She began. Before she could continue on, Larry was already objecting.

"Oh, please, Karen..They're just kids--" He began, but was met with a glare from his wife that would stop any man dead in his tracks. If looks could kill, Larry Sawyer would have been dead and buried without a second thought. He cleared his throat, looking down at his feet. "I'm sorry, Kar.. Continue.." He muttered with a sigh.

Karen nodded her head, eyeing the two teenagers in the room, half daring them to mess with her right now. When neither of them met with her gaze, the dark haired mother took it as a good sign and spoke again. "..If you two would like to persuse a..." She paused, having to re-gain her strength before she just jumped into saying something like this. "...relationship.." Karen chose the word wisely, sending Larry a glare before he could say anything else. "Larry and I would want to hear the whole story..I've heard bits and pieces from the both of you and..It's been quite compelling.." She admitted, looking at Peyton and offering the girl a small smile.

"I think it's quite clear that my son is head over heels for you.." She admitted, sending Peyton a quick wink before speaking once again. "..But I also think that...We're going to have to know what's going on.. From beginning to end..No interruptions or exceptions.." Karen looked at her son, nodding her head. "From this moment on, anything that comes out of your mouth better be talking about your past..I don't want to hear any if's and's or but's about it.." She nodded her head once again, turning her attention to Peyton.

"Since Lucas isn't really a speaker, I'm gonna give this one to you, Peyton. Just tell us what happened..The truth.."

**Author's Note:** _Kso..All this chapter was meant to tell you was that, from now until further notice, the rest of the chapters are going to be FLASHBACKS. no present time in any of the chapters..Until we near the end..Get it? If not, PM me or leave a review telling me how much i suck. _


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six: Something I Can Never Have **

**_(Peyton's pov)_**

Ah, the sun. One eye opened, followed by the other, and I winced. Why couldn't someone just turn the sun off for a little while longer so that I could get some sleep. I rolled over onto my stomach and sat up upon feeling nothing or no one there. Had last night even happened? From what I remembered, which was _everything_, Lucas and I had slept together last night. You can blame a lapse of judgement or a moment of weakness, but it happened. I, on the other hand, blame nothing or no one. It was fate.

I sat up, immediately pulling the blanket over me to cover my body. Without even realizing it, I sighed, my eyes scanning the room for any piece of evidence that Lucas had been here. That's when I saw it. A single flower on the pillow next to me. I picked it up and brought it to my nose, a large, overbearing smile on my lips. How romantic..

I stood from the bed with the flower in one hand and grabbed onto my robe, which was resting on my computer chair. I noticed that my webcam was covered with a towel and I smiled despite myself, covering my body with the robe and setting the single flower down onto the computer table. I made my way downstairs, humming some random tune. The first thing that I saw upon walking into the kitchen was Lucas in his work out gear, eating cereal at the table.

As I came closer and closer, I noticed Karen and Larry sitting there as well, both drinking coffee and eating their own breakfasts. I leaned down and kissed my father's cheek before smiling over at Karen and eyeing Lucas with a grin. "Morning, family.." I said in a chipper tone, contrasting my normally pouty mood. I was, most definately, not a morning person. I never was and never had been.

My father, having known that much about me, looked up from his newspaper, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Who are you and what have you done with my daughter?" He joked, giving me a small smile. "What's his name and what exactly did you do with him?" He continued to joke, but his smile vanished when he heard a choking Lucas, who had been silent the whole entire time, begin to cough.

He choked on his cereal and began coughing profusely, causing a small giggle to fall from my lips. Wow, that was smooth, wasn't it? I shook my head and sat down at the table next to my father, looking over at Lucas with a playful grin. "Pass the orange juice.." I pleaded with him, still smiling the same way that I had been.

Much to my dismay, Lucas passed it without a word uttered to me and stood up, taking his bowl to the sink and speaking to our parents. "I'm gonna go out for a run. I'll be back later." He decided, not even greeting my existance. I frowned just slightly, not wanting either Karen or Larry to get suspicious and I stood as well, walking away without a word.

I seemed to catch Lucas just in time. He opened the front door to leave and I closed it, leaning my back against the door so that he couldn't leave. "Last night, you told me that you wanted to be with me. You left a flower on my pillow _after_ we had sex. Now you're seriously going to tell me you've changed your mind?" I questioned angrily, my voice not daring to go above a hushed whisper.

I looked on as Lucas shook his head, his jaw clenched for reasons that I couldn't see. Anger? Confusion? Who knows..Who icares/i? Right now, I was hurt and angry--A lethal combination.

"I haven't changed my mind!" He said in a regular tone, but quickly looked in back of him to see that Karen and Larry were looking at them suspiciously. I rolled my eyes, my hand resting on my hip, not caring if the whole town knew what we were talking about right now. "..I haven't changed my mind." Lucas's voice was much quieter this time and he grabbed onto my arm, bringing me into the bathroom for whatever reason.

I, once again, rolled my eyes. Gee, the two of us dissapearing into a bathroom together? That wasn't too suspicious. Smart thinking, Luke. I bit my tongue to keep a snarky comment from slipping out. I waited for him to speak and, when he didn't, I began to walk towards the door to exit the room.

"As hard as it is to leave this lovely little moment, if you're not gonna speak, you're wasting my time." I said rudely, pushing past him. I felt Lucas grab onto my hand once again and I stopped, turning back around.

Lucas paused before leaning in and kissing me. I kissed him back with everything that I had inside of me, my back pressed against the door. Finally, we pulled away and I breathed heavily, inhaling and exhaling in an attempt to regulate my breathing. "..I didn't change my mind, Peyton." He promised me and I smiled, believing him for the first time all morning.

"I just..I don't really know how to act, y'know?" He questioned, doing that cute little brooding face that made me weak in the knees. I nodded my head with a smile and pulled away from him, my hand on the doorknob.

"Just act like you _care,_ Luke. I don't need some big, romantic gesture. Just remind me that you care about me..That's all I want." I told him quietly, leaning up and gently kissing him one last time. With that, I pulled away and opened the door, speaking so that the parental units, who were probably wondering what we were doing, could hear me.

"..And that's what you do to get yourself over a hangover.." I called out loudly, sending him a quick wink before exiting the bathroom and going back upstairs to shower and change while Lucas did his little jogging thing.

After I was all showered and dressed, I walked back down the stairs. Much to my dismay, I was met with another voice. The voice of a girl that I already didn't like. I walked into the living room, finding the culprit of the voice to be a gorgeous blonde haired, blue eyed girl sitting across from Karen on _my _couch.

I looked over at Karen and then at the girl, waiting for my almost step-mom to introduce me to the blonde bimbo. She smiled brightly at me when I entered and practically pushed me down onto the couch.

"Lily, this is Peyton. She's Lucas's step-sister." Karen explained and I smiled uncomfortably, nodding my head. "..._Almost_ step-sister. We're not related.._yet_." I justified, still having it feel weird for us to be almost related. I sighed somewhat and waved at the girl, dreading what was to come next.

"Lily goes to our church and she's been after Lucas for ages. I finally decided to put the plan into motion. I can't remember the last time he brought a girl home.." She continued on with a laugh, causing me to inwardly cringe. Did this Lily girl really think that she was going to get to take my boyfriend? I don't think so, Barbie.

I wanted to scream at Karen and Lily and dad and anyone else who thought that neither Lucas or myself were dating enough people. We weren't dating _other_ people because we were dating eachother, dumbasses. "I'm sure he'll love that." I joked, sarcasm dripping from my voice with each and every single word that I spoke. Karen would know that I was right. It was a fact that Lucas hated to be ambushed. He hated feeling like things were being planned behing his back and that was _exactly _what his mother had done, wasn't it?

Before anyone could seem to comment back to my sarcasm, the front door opened and Lucas walked inside, dripping with sweat from his run. I couldn't even find it in me to smile when he flashed me a quick dimpled smirk. Instead, I nodded towards the other people in the living room with me, watching his smile drop dramatically.

"Mom..." He greeted unsurely, looking between the blonde haired girl from church or whatever Karen said she was from and to his mom. I rolled my eyes and stood up, throwing down the pillow that had been resting in my lap. "As fun as it was to have this Scott Church Family Reunion thing, I'm gonna go.." I said rudely, walking up the stairs and into my bedroom. I didn't need to see or hear anything else from them. The visualizations that my imagination was coming up with were enough to give me restless nights of sleep for months to come.

I sat in my bedroom for what felt like hours, sketching aimlessly. Finally, I heard my name being called. Dinner. Was the skanky hoe gone? I stood from my chair and looked out the window, finding that her car was still parked. Was it wrong that I hoped she tripped and fell down a flight of stairs one day? No, I was just jealous.. Breathe in and out, Peyton. In and out.

Wow, okay. Did someone give my dad a freaken' microphone? He called my name time and time again and, eventually, I called back. "I'm coming!" There. Now he could shutup. I opened my bedroom door and walked down the stairs, forcing yet another smile onto my face. The second that I reached the bottom, the smile turned into a snarl. There was Lily--Kissing Lucas. I narrowed my eyes at him as he opened his eyes and just shook my head in disguist, walking into the dining room.

Lucas and Lily followed me, Lucas obviously not pleased either. They all sat down and, of course, Lucas chose to sat down right across from me. I forced a smile onto my face as he asked me to pass the potatoes. Yeah, sure. I'll pass them, alright. "Oh, sure." I said sweetly, grabbing them and handing them to him. Just as I did so, I made sure that my foot rammed right into his shin.

I watched Lucas's face contort in pain and, for some reason, I got a bit of enjoyment out of it. "Whoops, I thought it was one of the legs on the table.." I apologized with a shrug, grabbing a piece of chicken and putting it onto my plate. "..But I'm sure that Lily here can kiss it and make it iall/i better." I predicted, still with that sickeningly sweet smile on my face.

Lucas simply rolled his eyes and I mirrored his actions, doing the same. For the rest of dinner, not a word was spoken between either of us. Afterwards, I didn't even clear my plate. Instead, I stood from the chair and walked up the stairs, anger pulsing through my veins. So much for him wanting to be with me, right? The second that some blonde bombshell comes through, he's making out with her! Okay, granted, Karen set them up and they weren't 'making out'..Just kissing..But still. Why would he do that? I'd love to see his reaction if I was making out with some random.

Oh! And so my plan begins. Plan: Make Lucas Jealous was officially going to go into effect starting... _now._


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven: Who I Am Hates Who I've Been**

I stared at my reflection in the mirror, quite impressed with myself. I had never been one to brag about my looks, but I couldn't help but notice the fact that I had great legs. In this mini skirt, they seemed to go on for miles. I'd done everything that I was supposed to these past few days. Around Karen, I had been extra eager to learn about my step-brother's new girlfriend while, although she didn't know it, I was getting all of the inside dirt. I knew for a fact that, tonight, he was going to be going to his mother's cafe' with her. What was Lucas not expecting out of his little date? Catching me and my date there too.

It seemed like the perfect plan. I'd use some random to make Lucas jealous and then he'd come running back to me, apologizing about what an idiot he'd been. Yes, he had already apologized time and time again about falling onto Lily's lips, but I didn't want to hear it. I wasn't going to forgive him until we were even. I wasn't going to forgive him until he had to sit and watch me kiss someome else as well. Call me baby-ish or whatever you please, but I don't give a damn. I had to watch that blonde Barbie doll stick her tongue down my boyfriend's throat and I couldn't do a damn thing about it. So, now, Lucas was going to have to go through the same torture. Two could play that game, Lucas Scott. Two could most definately play that game.

I finally stepped away from the floor length mirror when I heard a knocking on my bedroom door. I spun around, getting those usual butterflies in my stomach. Lucas had already left with his 'date' for the night, but a part of me couldn't help but hope that it was him who was coming into my room. I could just imagine him wrapping his arms around me and kissing me right now.

Nope, definately not Lucas. Not even close to being Lucas. As a matter of fact, if it were Lucas, I'd be totally grossed out right now. "Dad.." I said as cheerfully as I could, forcing a smile onto my lips. I tucked a blonde curl behind my ear, waiting for my father to speak. It wasn't everyday that your father came into your bedroom before you went on a date. Hmm..Awkward much?

"Peyton, I uhm.." He shuffled his feet around and I had to stifle a laugh, my eyebrows raised slightly. "Dad, it's a date. I'm not gettin' married." I reasoned with my father, resting a hand on his shoulder to be of some comfort.

I took notice of the semi-pained look on his face and the smile on my own faultered just slightly, my eyebrows crinkled together in confusion. Did he know about me and Lucas? God damnit! I opened my mouth to speak, but he beat me to it.

"I found this in the trash this morning." He began, taking out a used condom wrapper. My eyes widened in shock and I was seemingly speechless. What was I supposed to say? For some reason, I had this nagging feeling that dad wouldn't want the details of my sexcapades with his stepson.

"Oh, uhm.." I stuttered out, my eyes wandering around the room as I attempted to search for an excuse. Finally, I gave in, looking at my father, who seemed to be struggling with words as well.

"At least you're being safe." He said with a smile and my eyes widened, my face scrunched up in disguist. "Dad! Please!" I pleaded loudly, rubbing my forehead tiredly. I didn't want to be hearing this at the moment. It was sickening to think about, quite honestly.

Silence consumed the room for only another moment before I cleared my throat, grabbed my purse and began walking past him and to the door. "I've got a date. I'll be back later." I explained all too quickly, taking this majorly awkward experience as the oppurtunity to leave the room. I ran down the stairs, past Karen and out the door where a black sports car was waiting for me.

Wow, he didn't even have the decency to get out of the car. I heard the loud honking and sent him a quick wave just so that he knew that I was here. I opened the car door and crouched down the get inside before slamming it. "Hey, Nathan." I said with a small polite smile, less than interested in him. I couldn't help the fact that he wasn't my type in the least. He was tall dark and gorgeous. I liked tall blonde and gorgeous. Although their eyes were both the most beautiful blue. Hmm..If I didn't know any better, I'd say that they could have most definately passed as half brothers or something. Maybe in another lifetime.

I leaned in and kissed Nathan's cheek, trying to ignore the fact that he had leaned in for my lips. "So, where are we going?" He asked me and I almost immediately went through my purse to grab my mirror. I applied my lip gloss as I spoke, still quite the little valley girl. "Karen's cafe'." He said with a nod of my head, shoving both the mirror and the lip gloss into my purse.

The drive to the cafe' was spent in awkward silence, much different than all of my other experiences with Lucas. I didn't know all that much about dating, but I did know that you're not supposed to be thinking about your step brother when you're on a date. Normal people don't do that. Then again, I never did claim to be normal, did I? What was normal anymore, anyway? People wore earrings in their tongues and permanantly etched other people's names to their asses like a branded cow. If that was normal, then I wasn't so sure that I wanted to be.

We arrived soon enough and I got out of the car all too eagerly, sending my reflection one last glance through the rear view mirror. I linked my arm with Nathan's, allowing him to lead me into the cafe'. With a small clearing of my throat, I opened the door and entered, my green eyes searching the small, intimate setting for a blonde haired blue eyed teenage boy.

I found him sitting on a couch with the blonde whore on his arm, looking less than interested as she blabbered on and on about some sort of useless information. Knowing girls like her, she was probably giving him makeup tips or talking about her last rendezvous with the pool boy.

I smirked upon seeing the look of disinterest on his face, tightening my grip on Nathan's arm. "Let's get a table.." I said with a small giggle, eyeing Lucas, who still didn't seem to notice that I was there. We walked to a table right near the couch and, although it hadn't been planned, I couldn't been more pleased with the location.

Nathan, of course, didn't pull out my seat for me so I did so myself and sat down, my legs crossed under the table. "Thanks for taking me out tonight." I said a bit too loudly for my own good, wanting Lucas to hear every last detail. I looked over at him just in time to see him turn his head to look at me as well. Lucas's eyes seemed to glimmer with suspicion and he leaned back on the couch, not quite sure what to say.

I turned my attention back over to Nathan when he spoke, trying to stay interested in him. "Thanks for finally going out with me. I've been asking you out for months, P." He shot out with a cocky smirk that almost made me want to laugh. Had I not been in love with Lucas, I probably could have fallen for this guy. If nothing else, I knew that we would have had amazing sex.

"Peyton.." No, the voice didn't come from Nathan this time. It was a bit more cautious with a hint of anger. I whipped my head around to look at Lucas, who seemed furious. "Luke!" I said, pretending that I had no idea that he was going to be here. "Lara, I had no idea you guys were going to be here!" I continued on, purposely messing up the Barbie Doll's name. Score: 1 Peyton, 0 Lucas.

"It's Lily...And..Uhm..That's funny because I told you I was going to be here last night...We were in your room..I'm pretty sure we were even lying on your bed...at around midnight." He said, narrowing his eyes at me. I could sense his hostility and knew that he was about to blow, but I kept my cool.

"Huh...Well I didn't do anything interesting last night, so I probably just blocked all of that out." Yes, Lucas and I had slept together last night. Had it been a low blow? Maybe, but whatever. I wasn't going to play nice. He wouldn't let me be jealous of him and Lily but I'm supposed to just sit back and relax while he shoots insults my way? I don't think so.

Lucas let out a hostile laugh as he rubbed his hand over his face. I averted my eyes from him and crossed my arms over my chest like a little girl, turning towards Nathan. "Do you wanna get outta here?" I asked, standing up and gathering my things. Lucas jumped up from his couch before my date could even answer me and grabbed onto my arm, pulling me over to the side without another word.

"You're not leaving here with him, Peyton." He warned me with a slightly threatening glare. I was tempted to kiss him. Tempted to spit in his face. Tempted to slap him. Tempted to do all three of them, actually.

I rolled my eyes, ripped my arm out of his grasp, and once again crossed my arms over my chest. "Why shouldn't I? Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just.." I began to rant, but felt his lips against mine gently. I opened my mouth almost immediately to deepen the kiss and felt myself begin to get lost in him. Once I finally realized that I was giving into him, I forcefully pushed him away from me, a small pout on my lips.

"You can't just do that everytime that I get mad at you!" I objected, trying my hardest to stay strong and not give into him. I could see the wheels turning in his mind and, before I knew it, Lucas brought his hand up and tucked a stray blonde curl out of my eyes.

"..I love you.." He said softly, half scared of the words himself. My eyes widened and I looked around, making sure that no one could see us. As long as no one was going to have to use a pay phone or pee, we'd be good for a least a couple of moments. Nothing else was back here except for extra chairs, and they seemed to have plenty of those scattered about the restraunt.

"You...You what?" I asked breathlessly, no longer angry with him. More than anything, I was shocked. Had he just said that he loved me? Did he mean it?

Lucas swallowed and stayed silent for a beat before shaking his head and leaned down to kiss my nose. "I said I love you, Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer." Lucas repeated, continuing to play with my hair as if he couldn't stop himself from touching me.

My eyes stayed wide with shock and I locked my eyes onto his blue ones, still searching for the right words. "What am I supposed to say?" I questioned, still in complete confusion and shock.

Lucas laughed gently and shook his head, leaning in and kissing my forehead. "Saying it back would be nice." He joked, playfully rolling his eyes.

I laughed along with him, nodding my head. "I love you too." I finally admitted, no longer angry or afraid of my feelings. Wow, there it was. I was in love for the first and only time in my entire life. Of course, it had to be with someone that I was forbidden to be with. The world was so damn cruel.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight: When The Stars Go Blue**

"That dress is totally hot!"

"Dude, it's just a dress."

"No, P. Sawyer. Not _a_ dress. It is _the_ dress."

I emerged from the dressing room with my best friend, Brooke, at my side the entire time, a large frown on my face. "I look ridiculous." I objected with a small snarl, unable to stop myself from looking to my left as Brooke did a spin in her own blood red colored dress. Of course Brooke just had to look a thousand times hotter, didn't she? Brooke had the curves and the hair and the body and the boobs and...Everything that I seemed to lack. It's not that I was jealous of my gorgeous best friend, but I always thought it ridiculous that we had to go shopping together now. We certainly didn't have the same styles in clothing, so what was the point?

Karen, who had been sifting through a rack of mini skirts with a look of disguist on her face lifted her head and smiled at us. "Well, you both look stunning." She promised, taking a step forward so that she could get a better look. "Who are the lucky boys?"

I spoke almost immediately, a bit too quickly for my own good. "Oh, I don't have a..." I paused, my eyes nervously scanning the room. "..Date.." I finally finished, a nervous tick in my throat.

I could feel Brooke's eyes on me but I ignored them to the best of my ability, dissapearing back into the dressing room without another word. I could still hear the muffled voices of my future step-mother and best friend as Brooke bragged about snagging the Captain of the basketball team or something of the sort. Was it really all that important? No, I honestly didn't care. As long as Lucas wasn't her date, I'd be happy.

See, tonight was the Homecoming dance and, as much as I was dreading it, I knew that I had to go. I was nominated for Homecoming Queen, of course, and couldn't miss the oppurtunity to do something else that would make me look like a total and complete kiss ass. In all actuality, those shallow little things made my dad happy, so they made me happy too.

Deciding that I'd spent enough time pretending to change, I came out of the dressing room, my black dress in my hands. "Let's just do this before I change my mind." I muttered with a quick roll of my eyes and a small smirk, making my way over to the counter. I handed the woman my credit card and waited for my recipt, signing it and grabbing my bag. I smiled somewhat at Karen while Brooke bought her own dress, not too sure I wanted to start up a conversation. It would be awkward, to say the least.

"So, who's Lucas going with?" I asked cooly, although I already knew the answer. We had mutually agreed to go solo tonight. He goes by himself, I go by myself and we meet up somewhere afterwards to have some 'couple' time.

Karen shrugged her shoulders, her eyebrows threaded together in thought. "Y'know, I don't think he has a date. He said he wanted to go by himself. He's probably just embarassed to bring his date home to meet me, right?" She asked with a small laugh.

I laughed along with the older woman, nodding my head. "Yeah, that must be it." I agreed with her, only a tiny hint of sarcasm dripping from my voice. Brooke took her bag and I bolted out of the store like a bolt of lightning, leaving the two brunettes behind me.

Two hours, five curling irons, three girls and a hairstylist later, I was ready. I slipped on my black stiletto shoe before standing up and looking at myself in the floor length mirror. I smiled slightly, but it wasn't because of my reflection. It was because I saw the person who'd just walked into my bedroom. Lucas. I spun around as he closed the door, my smile growing by the second.

"You look beautiful." He whispered, his tie carelessly hanging around his neck. I nodded my head, pulling him towards me. I began to fix his tie, focusing my attention on that as I spoke. "You look pretty good yourself, mister." I promised with a smirk, giving his chest a quick pat once I seemed to master the tie doing trick that my father had taught me when I was twelve.

I turned back around and stared at our reflections in the mirror, Lucas's arms snaking around my waist from behind. He rested his chin down on my shoulder, staring at our reflections as well. "Yeah, I do look pretty good, huh?" He joked with a sigh like laugh, causing me to roll my eyes.

"Don't push it." I warned, leaning in and kissing him loudly. Once our lips connected and the 'smack' was made, I pulled away before leaning back in and doing it again. Once our lips collided for the second time, I giggled, keeping myself in his grasp.

Footsteps could be heard near my door and a small frown fell onto my lips, Lucas pulling his arms away from me. He shoved his hands into his pockets, leaning in and kissing the side of my forehead softly. "I'll see you later, okay?" He questioned, leaving me to simply nod my head.

Lucas opened my bedroom door cautiously, checking both sides of the hallway before he walked out and into his own bedroom. I rolled my eyes and stared at my reflection once again, the vibrant and happy girl replaced with a sad and frowning one. Why couldn't we always just be together? This royally sucked.

Horny teenagers. Clothed sex. Spiked punch. That was exactly what the Homecoming Dances at Tree Hill High consisted of. Time after time, they played the same music with the same kids at the same place and, after a while, it just got old. I wasn't sure when, exactly, that started to happen, but probably around when I was twelve. I walked inside of the school gym, my arm linked with Brooke's and my eyes scanning the room for a familiar blonde haired boy.

Unfortunately, he was no where to be found. I attempted to hide my dissapointment behind a smile, but I was nearly positive that my eyes told the story that the rest of my face couldn't. At least that's what Lucas always says to me. He's constantly telling me when I'm lying or why I'm lying or why I'm sad. He's not supposed to know so much about me.. He can't...But he does. Although a huge part of me is scared to death, another part of me is ecstatic. I finally had someone who understood me. He didn't pretend and he didn't say anything, he just knew.

My eyes searched the room once again, but I still couldn't find him. With a small frown replacing the smile, I un-linked my arm from the bubbly brunette's. "Why don't you go find that stud you were tellin' me about?" I questioned, a small genuine smirk on my lips.

Brooke's eyes widened in delight and she began to look around as well. "Oh! Yes, you soo have to meet him. Brb." She said before bouncing away. Despite my best attempts, a small chuckle fell from my lips. I stood alone now by the consession table, watching Brooke flirt with the boy that I assumed to be her date. Before I knew what had happened, there was a tap on my shoulder.

Expecting it to be Lucas, I spun around, a smile on my lips. No, not Lucas, but...The kid who sits in front of me in Chem? My smile fell drastically but I attempted to keep it there to make him feel better, tilting my head to the side a bit. "Hey...Rob, right?" I asked, trying to make sure that I got his name right.

The boy nodded, pulling a folded up piece of paper out of his pocket. "Yeah, but someone told me to give this to you. They said that someone told them to give it to someone else who told them to give it to me to give to you or something like that." The boy paused, obviously re-thinking what he'd just said. Did it really matter? Nah.

I nodded my head, taking the note from him. "Thanks...Rob." I said with a smile before turning on my heel and walking outside of the gym and by a set of lockers. I opened the note in a hurry, smiling as silver and gold stars fell out and onto the ground. "Meet me on the roof." I read aloud, a small laugh escaping my lips. I'd recognize that chicken scratch anywhere.

I folded the note back up, looking around the deserted hallway. Who the hell was going to catch me, right? I held the note in my hands tightly as I made my way outside by the parking lot. I looked around, having no idea how I was going to make it up onto the roof. Ah, as if on cue, I spotted a ladder tilted up the side of the building. Well, that was unexpected.

I shook my head in disbelief, making my way over to the ladder. After taking my shoes off, I made my way up the steps one by one, being extra cautious so that I wouldn't fall and break my neck. I finally reached the top and jumped up, my eyes widening in shock. There, on top of the roof, was Lucas.

A large blanket was laid out along with a ton of candles, two wine glasses and a bottle. My smile turned into a wide grin as my eyes surveyed the area before settling on Lucas. "Wh--" I managed out, shaking my head.

Lucas stood up and made his way over to me slowly, a small knowing smile on his lips. "Where do you think I've been since I left your room?" He questioned, taking my hand and leading me over to the blanket. I sat down on the blanket, making myself comfortable. "You're such a romantic." I joked, pinching his cheeks. Lucas laughed a bit, gently pulling his face out of my reach.

"Oh, please..This is nothing..You should see what I do when I really love a girl." He said, narrowing his eyes slightly with a knowing smile on his lips. I nodded, going along with him. "Oh, of course..What was I thinking?" I questioned, playfully rolling my eyes.

Lucas pulled me into his arms and I sat myself between his legs, my back resting comfortably against his chest. His chin once again found its way against my bare shoulder and I smiled to myself, perfectly content. What more could I ask for? I was looking out at the stars in the arms of the man that I love. Fairytales and romance novels have nothing on the real thing.

"Hey, Peyt..A shooting star.." He whispered into my ear, bringing his hand up and pointing to it. I looked up, my eyes lighting up in delight. "Oh! Make a wish..." I demanded quietly, closing my eyes. I made my wish before reopening my eyes and turning my head ever so slightly to look at him.

"What'd you wish for?"

"That we could stay like this forever. You?"

I nodded my head, looking back out at the stars. "Same.." Was all I said, my voice not daring to come out as anything above a whisper. I closed my eyes as Lucas continued to hold me, knowing damn well that we only got these kinds of oppurtunities once in a blue moon. "I wished that I could stay in your arms...Always.." I admitted finally, nodding my head.

"You can."

I turned to look at him, my eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. Of course I couldn't. Could I? "Wh--" I asked, but was cut off by Lucas, who had that look on his face. Narrowed eyes, rigid cheeekbones. He was most definately thinking about something.

"Marry me, Peyton."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine: You Can't Write Our Kind of Love**

Wait a second. Pause. Rewind. Yeah, right there. Play. What just happened? Had Lucas actually asked me to marry him? At first, I thought that my ears had been decieving me, so I stayed quiet. Then, when I realized that I had been correct and not hard of hearing, I continued to stay silent, waiting for him to tell me that he was joking. That was a joke, right? Married..Yeah, okay. Our parents were getting married. Litterally. We couldn't just up and get married, could we?

I turned to look at him, my eyebrows threaded together in a mix of thought and confusion. When I saw Lucas was waiting for my answer, I shook my head, gently moving out of his grasp. I turned to face him, my jaw dropped open in shock. For some reason, I couldn't seem to form sentences. What the hell was going on? "Did you just--" I trailed off accusingly, not knowing what else I could possibly say right now.

Lucas nodded his head, his blue eyes staring into my green ones. I had never been able to look away from his intense gaze. It was almost as if, whenever he looked at me, I was under a spell. I still shook my head, my mouth still open but no words coming out. "That's crazy!" I finally objected, somehow managing to snap out of my daze.

Marriage? Come on now. How old were we again? Nevermind the fact that we were..No..ARE practically related. This was just totally Jerry Springer. I knew I should have just become a lesbian or..Something.

"Marry me, Peyton. They can't break us apart if we vow to spend the rest of our lives together." He repeated firmly, still staring deep into my eyes with that look on his face. I couldn't speak. I could barely even breathe. Not only was it crazy for two eighteen year olds to get married, but for us to get married while our parents were engaged was..Insane. For some reason beyond my control, though, I found myself getting lost in him. My eyes getting lost in his and my body getting lost in his touch.

"..Okay.." I practically whispered, nodding my head to confirm what I had just said. Alright, so I was engaged to my step-brother. For some reason, I couldn't see beyond the fact that I was marrying the man that I loved. Whatever else he was didn't matter. He was Lucas. The guy that I had fallen head over heels in love with. The guy who brought more drama to my life than a Spanish soap opera, but I wouldn't change any of it for the world.

For the first time in my life, I was going to be selfish. I was going to do something that I wanted to do even if it wasn't right for other people. "Let's go." I decided, standing up and pulling Lucas up with me. I saw the confusion wash over his face, but I chose not to explain. Instead, I began to walk towards the ladder, allowing myself to get down before waiting for him. Lucas eventually came down as well, still confused as hell.

"Peyton, wh--" He began to object, but I wasn't about to have any of it. Instead, I grabbed onto his arm and dragged him towards my black car, getting inside. Once Lucas was inside as well, I backed out of the parking lot and began driving towards the highway, hell bent on marrying him right at this moment. If I didn't do it now, I was going to lose my courage and then we'd never be able to be together. This needed to be done.

"Look, if we don't get married now, our parents are gonna get married first and then it'll just be...Wrong for us to be together. But, if we're married first, then things will change and it'll almost be like it'll be wrong for them to be together instead of us." I reasoned, talking faster and faster by the second. My mind was racing and I knew that I was acting like a lunatic but I couldn't help it. I wanted this. No, I needed this. I needed Lucas and, right now, this was my way of holding onto him for dear life.

I pulled into the City Hall and stared at the large white building, my heart practically pounding out of my chest. I turned my head to look at Lucas, noticing that he, as well, looked quite overwhelmed. I turned my whole body in my seat, grabbing onto his hands. "I wanna spend the rest of my life in your arms." I whispered, looking down at our hands. I felt Lucas's free hand come up and lift my chin ever so gently, causing me to smile.

"Well, that's good. Because I wanna hold you in my arms forever, too." He promised me as he leaned in and kissed my forehead. "You sure you want this, Peyt?" He questioned, smoothing my blonde hair down as he spoke. Any ounce of hesitation that I had was gone the mere second that I looked into his eyes. I nodded my head, smiling slightly.

"I'm positive." I whispered before leaning in and closing the space between our lips. Our lips met for a soft yet amazing kiss that simply confirmed everything that I'd known all along. I was doing the right thing. I knew damn well that I couldn't lose him and, by marrying him, I wouldn't.

After a long process of filling out paper work and proving that we were over the age of eighteen, Lucas and I were finally allowed in front of the judge. Everything was a blurr. Before I could even grasp what was going on, Lucas was looking deep into my eyes and saying his vows.

"I, Lucas, take you, Peyton, to be my wife. To have and to hold from this day forward for as long as we both shall live." He said, quite sure of himself.

I smiled and nodded my head, my heart leaping out of my chest. We were crazy and this was all so sudden. Was I ready for this? Yes, I was. And I had been since the moment that I laid eyes on him. "I, Peyton, take you, Lucas, to be my husband. To have and to hold from this day forward as long as we both shall live." I whispered tearfully, my smile only growing as the repeated words left my mouth.

So, it wasn't my dream wedding. We weren't in a Catholic Church and I wasn't wearing a gorgeous white gown, but I had my dream guy and that was all that mattered in the end. After the judge said a few things that I could barely even listen to, I saw Lucas leaning in to kiss me. I laughed despite myself and jumped into his arms, gently placing my lips on top of his as my legs found their way around his waist.

"Please tell me we didn't just get married." I mumbled against his lips, a loud squeal erupting through my body. We were insane. Completely and utterly insane. Who else ran to City Hall at two o'clock in the morning just to get married? Crazy people. I allowed Lucas to carry me out of City Hall and towards my car. He opened the passenger door and set me down before walking over to the drivers side and getting in.

Before he could start the engine, I gently placed my hand on top of his and shook my head. "I don't wanna go home right now." I whispered with a small smile. Lucas nodded his head and leaned in, kissing me ever so softly. "I know just the place." He promised me, starting the car and driving towards wherever he planned on taking me.

After only a few short moments, we arrived at a lake. An absolutely gorgeous lake at that. I smiled before getting out of the car, spinning around in circles. "It's beautiful!" I said, hearing my voice echo as I spoke. Lucas got out of the car as well, his arms once again finding their way around my waist as he held me from behind. "Yeah, it is." He whispered, although his eyes weren't on the view, but instead on me.

I turned my head to look up at him, our lips gently grazing against one anothers. Without further delay, I leaned up onto my tip toes and closed the gap between us, my lips gently falling against his. I felt Lucas pick me up bridal style and carry me onto the roof of the car as the kiss continued on. He gently placed me down and just stared at me. I looked around for a moment before nodding towards the car.

"I've got an idea." I said, sitting up and running into the car. I pulled out a blanket and wrapped it around myself, a small smile on my lips. With that, I returned over to Lucas and wrapped my arms around him, immediately taking his jacket off. What could be more romantic than making love to your husband under the stars at a lake? You couldn't script that kind of romance even if you tried.

I laid myself down on the hood of the car and pulled Lucas on top of me, my lips never leaving his and our foreheads connected as his hands searched my body like he'd never touched me before. A soft moan escaped my lips and I allowed Lucas to take off my dress and underwear, my body covered by the flannel blanket that had previously been in my car. I took off Lucas's shirt with ease, by now an expert.

After sliding off his shirt, my nails ran up and down his back, his hands running up and down my bare sides. His touch alone was enough to make me shudder beneath him, my breathing heavy and my heart racing. Why did this feel like my first time all over again? Once we were both completely rid of our clothes, I kissed him once again as he entered inside of my, my body once again shuttering. I couldn't help myself.

This would make things real. Now, we couldn't get an annulment when our parents found out and we wouldn't be forced to give eachother up. No one could keep us apart any longer. Eventually, we were going to have to come out with the news, but when would be the right time? Karen and Larry were so happy together, but it was clear that they weren't meant to be together. Not like Lucas and I were, at least.

Lucas continued to move inside of me as we continued to kiss, our bodies connected in every single way possible. His hands continued to graze along my stomach before settling on my arms, his fingers running up and down my upper arm, causing goosebumps to form. A loud moan escaped my lips but, luckily, they were pressed against his so tightly that you could barely hear a thing.

The actual sex itself was amazing, but it was more than that. It was always more than that when it came to Lucas. More than it was about sex, it was about us. As cheesy as it sounded, it was more about our bodies and our souls and all of that poetic stuff that you read in English class but never quite understand. It was more of a symbol of our love than it was 'sex', and I had never before experienced anything like that.

I can't even tell you how long I spent in Lucas's arms, the flannel blanket wrapped around us and my body resting between his legs. I would just rest my back against his chest as he spoke, listening to his words as he talked about his real father. The man that he never knew.

"..So, my mom says, he left.." He told me and I was able to hear the pain in his voice. "He found out she was pregnant and just..left her one day." Lucas shrugged his shoulders as if he didn't care, but I knew better. I shook my head against his chest and looked up at him, leaving a soft kiss on his jaw.

"At least you know he's out there somewhere, right? So, he knows you're out there too. And that guilt..The guilt of leaving a family..It's gonna haunt him until the day he dies, Luke." I promised him before closing my eyes.

"What about you? Your mom.." He questioned, his arms tightly wrapped around my waist. I smiled at the question, remembering every single thing about my mother. How she used to sing to me and how she smelled or how she laughed--It all came rushing back to me at that one moment.

Although, to anyone else, I'd brush the question off, I couldn't with Lucas. I never could. "..She died when I was eight. Car accident." I recalled, remembering that horrid day all too well. I took a hold of Lucas's hand and kissed it before letting it fall back down, my eyes staring up at the shining stars.

"It's funny because..I haven't felt truly safe since she died..Until I met you." I admitted, finally closing my eyes and smiling, basking at the feeling of closeness between us. Although I didn't know for sure, I got the feeling that Lucas closed his eyes as well and we fell asleep together just like that, married, in love, and never wanting to face reality again.


End file.
